Sticks and Stones
by Exult
Summary: Sorting out your feelings is difficult. But, trying to sort out your feelings, while unconsciously insulting your best friend, who you just happen to share a hotel room with, is complete insanity.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own X-men: First Class, or any of the characters associated with it. They belong to Marvel and Stan Lee.

**Warnings: **Slash. Rated M. Charles/Erik

**A/N: **First chapter of my new, albeit short, story. I promise there wont be too much angst, but for my idea there has to be a little bit, don't you think? Anyways, I expect there to be at least one lemon, possibly more in this little story, so just a quick warning to anyone offended by such a thing.

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><p>"Charles?"<p>

Erik had just returned from running a small errand, entering the shared hotel room that the CIA had provided them. Charles had insisted that the two of them could share a room, and while Erik had been opposed to sharing his privacy with another person, he couldn't really say no when it came to the telepath, especially those big blue eyes.

However, he'd only left an hour or so ago, and Charles had talked about relaxing. So, why wasn't he here? Surely he hadn't left the room?

The metal bender frowned slightly, pretending that he wasn't worried. Charles could take care of himself. He was a grown man after all.

Erik scoffed to himself and ran a hand through his dark locks, before sauntering into the bathroom on the other side of the room. Trying to forget about his weird protective feelings towards the blue-eyed telepath.

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><p>He'd only taken a few steps inside the rather spacious bathroom, before the scent of vanilla hit his nose. Erik's eyebrows rose and a small gasp escaped his lips when he saw the reason for the vanilla. Charles was laying in the bathtub, bubbles and steam surrounding his entire body, covering the important parts, a thick book in his hands, a rosy flush to his delicate cheeks, and a small smile on his face.<p>

Erik had trouble swallowing when he felt his body responding to the sensual picture he was witnessing.

_Charles…? _He mentally questioned.

The man in question gasped, jumped slightly, and shot his eyes to the taller man looming over him with an incredulous look blazing in his intense green eyes.

"_Erik_?" The telepath asked aloud, clearly shocked. A flush of embarrassment burst onto Charles's face, and he curled slightly into himself, trying to preserve his modesty.

Before another word could be uttered, Erik practically ran out of the bathroom, the door slamming shut behind him.

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><p>"Let me explain…" the metal bender began to ramble, ten minutes later after Charles had dressed and was sitting innocently on one of the single beds in their shared room.<p>

"Its quite alright-"

"I didn't realize you were here, I called out, the bathroom door wasn't even shut and-"

"Erik," Charles said softly.

The metal bender was pacing now, his fists clenched.

"I shouldn't have walked in on you! It was a mistake-"

"Erik!" Charles said a little louder. The man in questioned turned a frowning face to the telepath sitting still on the bed, a grin adorning his features. Erik almost felt like returning the gesture, but mentally shook his head. "Its quite alright, I figured something like this might happen, considering we're sharing a room. It really is not that big of a deal."

"But…I…" Erik growled lowly, not sure what he was trying to spit out. "I saw _that_! You!…ugh! I mean I saw _you_!" he gesticulated to Charles's figure and looked so disgusted that it wasn't a wonder why the telepath's grin fell to replace a frown.

"Well," Charles began, glancing at the window opposite the part of the bed the telepath was sitting on, pretending his didn't feel rejected at Erik's obvious disapproval of his physique. "I may not be as physically defined as you, however, I didn't think I looked _that _bad." he tried to laugh it off.

Erik's reaction might have been comical under any other circumstances. His eyes widened in disbelief, and a breathless, high pitched "_what_?" escaped his mouth.

The telepath shook his head, trying to rid his mind of his depressing thoughts.

"Lets forget about it, shall we? Fancy some chess? I believe you still think you are going to one-up-me?" He chuckled, pushing up from the bed to grab their chess board from one of his suitcases.

As Charles set up the board, Erik was still reeling from their earlier conversation. The man was never very good at words, so he hadn't fully understood the implication of what he'd said. But, he knew he'd messed up. Said things that he hadn't meant. Obviously Charles had misunderstood what he'd been trying to convey, but the metal bender had been so flustered and, a little aroused if he was honest with himself, that he hadn't been able to form a proper sentence, let alone basic words.

"Charles," Erik began, to try and shed some light on his confusing thoughts. But, the telepath smiled at him and only claimed that he was playing as white tonight. The metal bender huffed and filed his thoughts away for a time when he could think about them further.

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><p><strong>AN: **This isn't going to be a very long story, maybe only 5 chapters. But, I've already got a basic outline of what is going to happen in each chapter.

**_Reviews are very much welcome and greatly appreciated!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own X-men: First Class, or any of the characters associated with it. They belong to Marvel and Stan Lee.

**Warnings: **Slash. Rated M. Charles/Erik

**A/N: **Second chapter, sorry about it being so short, but these aren't meant to be very long. Also, I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed thus far, and the wonderful feedback that I've gotten so far on this story. I hope that you all enjoy chapter 2.

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><p>Erik slammed Charles up against a brick wall in an alleyway, behind a booming club in full swing that they had been at. The telepath gasped at the harsh treatment and the minor pain of the brick hitting his sensitive back. The metal bender was glaring furiously at him.<p>

"Are you _trying _to get yourself killed?" Erik snarled out, using his brute strength to grip the Englishman's shoulder in a bruising hold.

"No. I was merely assisting-"

"_Merely assisting_?" The taller man shouted incredulously. "You almost got your head blown off!"

"I would not have allowed him to proceed that far," Charles answered back calmly, his bright blue eyes gazing into angry green ones.

"Why you _naïve_, _stubborn_, _idiotic_-he had a gun! In case you've forgotten!"

"And in case _you've _forgotten, _Erik_, I am a mutant also, and I would not have allowed him to go that far!" Charles growled, reacting to the name calling. He didn't appreciate his friend calling him an idiot, nor insinuating he was naïve.

He was only trying to help a woman who'd left the club at the wrong time, where a man in a black hood had grabbed her and tried to make off with her. Charles had been standing a little ways out of the alley, for some fresh air, when he heard the woman shouting, before being slapped hard and had fallen to the ground. The telepath had jumped into action and come to the woman's rescue, and everything had been going fine until the man had pulled a gun on the both of them. That was when Erik had showed up from seemingly nowhere, and proceeded to manipulate the gun and beat the man over the head with the object. The bouncer of the club next door had been called over, as well as the police, and the woman and hooded man had been taken to the police station.

Then, Erik had led into him. All angry, snarling, and glaring. Charles was becoming rather annoyed. He knew that his friend was only upset for not protecting him from the bruise he'd acquired when he'd been hit with the man's fist on the side of his arm. But, his over protectiveness was beginning to grate on even the telepath's patience.

"You should have left it alone," Erik responded to his mutant claim. The telepath gaped. There were still very much in a compromising position, and had it been a different situation, Charles would have relished in the rare physical contact the metal bender showed him, perhaps even taken it a step further, fuelled by the sexual tension that always seemed to be lurking when it concerned them.

"If you think that I could have walked away from that situation, Erik, you don't know me at all," Charles declared, his blue eyes blazing.

"You should have let me deal with it," the metal bender claimed, almost shouting again, still just as angry. "What were you going to do afterwards, console the lady and hope that she came home with you?"

It was that sentence that had Erik mentally wincing. He had _not _meant to say that.

The telepath's eyes widened, before narrowing in a piercing glare that had Erik continuously shouting "_fuckfuckfuck" _in his mind, had Charles been listening in.

"So I'm some kind of desperate loony now, am I? On the hunt for beautiful ladies to save and thusly end up fucking them for my heroics?" Charles snarled out his sentence, struggling against the taller of the two. Erik looked completely shocked. He'd never experienced this side of his friend before.

"I didn't mean-"

"Let me go, now!" Charles said coldly.

The intensity of the telepath's blue eyes and his tone made Erik release his hold on the shorter man. There was a tense silence that had them both on edge, Erik especially, and then Charles turned on his heel towards the club.

"Get your coat, we're heading back to the hotel," Charles ordered over his shoulder. Erik was too stunned to say anything, except curse his stupid mouth and the copious amounts of alcohol they'd ingested that night for his fuck up.

He'd done it _again_!

If Erik was the type of man to do so, he would have ripped his hair out in frustration.

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><p><strong>AN: **Hahha, don't hate Erik, he's just confused, drunk, and overprotective. Things will get better. Take the time to review please, I might just update faster ;)

_**Reviews are very much welcome and greatly appreciated! **_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own X-men: First Class, or any of the characters associated with it. They belong to Marvel and Stan Lee.

**Warnings: **Slash. Rated M. Charles/Erik

**A/N: **Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I absolutely adore all the feedback and knowing that people are actually liking my story. It makes my world go round! I hope that you all like this chapter. It made me giggle.

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><p>Charles was humming to himself as he fluttered around the small kitchen in his and Erik's shared hotel room. There was a delicious aroma wafting throughout the place that would have anyone's mouth watering. Copious amounts of vegetables, all placed accordingly on a medium sized table a few feet outside of the kitchen, were cooling, butter melting in waves over potatoes, asparagus, corn, and scallops. There was a fresh bottle of white wine sitting simply next to two wine glasses, and two identical, empty plates were sitting on opposite ends of the table, complete with a knife and fork. Charles was just putting the finishing touches on the pork-loin meat when he heard the front door open.<p>

The telepath had decided to put their little misunderstanding behind them from the day before, and felt that a nice, home cooked meal would be the perfect way. He knew that Erik very rarely indulged in good food, never seeing the need to spend anymore time on food preparation than was needed. Besides, Charles wanted to cook for his friend. Perhaps get to know him a little bit better. Plus, perhaps this little endeavour would deter the telepath's thoughts of his mutant friend to a far less raunchy kind.

He'd become almost ashamed at the way his eyes always racked down the contours of Erik's toned body, or when they were passionately arguing over random things, how he'd love to shove his tongue down the other man's throat and finally shut him up for once.

Charles shook his head, willing the blush off his face, and turned to face Erik who'd just sauntered into the kitchen.

"Expecting company?" The metal bender asked with a raised eyebrow, a slight smirk crossing his features.

"Perhaps. But, only if they'll have me," Charles said a little flirty.

"That depends," Erik teased. "Is there wine?"

"Of course," the telepath winked, making Erik's face heat up slightly. "This is food prepared by the masterful Xavier, complete with wine, and perhaps, if the company is good, _dessert_."

The metal benders eyes widened slightly at the dirty thoughts that suddenly plagued his mind when his mutant friend said "dessert."

"Masterful Xavier, huh? I think someone's ego is a tad too large," Erik grinned, before glancing at the still-steaming food that was just begging to be eaten.

"We are so alike in _some _ways, aren't we?" Charles smirked at him, motioning for his friend to sit down and indulge in his meal.

"Smartass," Erik mumbled, already helping himself to everything that he could get his hands on.

"I _do _try."

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><p>Both mutants clinked glasses, grinning like mad, finishing off the rest of their glasses. They were both sufficiently stuffed with pretty much everything that had been on the table, and three glasses of wine each. Charles was in the process of clearing away the dishes, and placed a few more next to the sink that was slowly filling with soapy water. The telepath turned back towards the table, when he bumped into Erik, whose hands were filled with the remaining dishes, gasping slightly as he pushed against the metal bender's muscled chest by accident.<p>

"Oh, pardon me, I didn't mean-" Charles's breath hitched as Erik pushed against the telepath, reaching his arms around to place the dishes next to the sink, trapping the Englishman between Erik's arms and the countertop.

Charles was about to push past the man, when he realized that Erik's hands were gripped on the countertop and he couldn't move. The taller of the two's body pushed up against the telepath's until there was almost no space between them.

Both mutants gazed into the other's beautiful orbs. Smouldering green into blazing blue. Charles was too stunned to say anything. The shorter of the pair didn't dare read his friend's mind, knowing that Erik would undoubtedly know, and that he'd made a promise not to without permission. But, he desperately wanted to know what the other man was thinking at the moment.

"Thank you for dinner, Charles," Erik hummed against the younger man, using his powers to turn off the sink tap without the Englishman knowing.

"It was no trouble Erik, I was happy to cook for you," the telepath whispered.

Erik leaned down closer, there lips almost touching. Charles could barely breath, his entire body still…was …was Erik going to _kiss _him?

The metal bender's lips caressed Charles lips with the barest pressure. It couldn't even be classified as a kiss, just a slight nudge of contact. The telepath breath out, feeling his entire body flush and goose bumps erupt onto his pale flesh. He was just about to push his mouth harder against his friends when:

"You have very bad breathe, Charles," Erik said randomly, almost as if he didn't realize that he'd said it. The telepath blinked, and the older man finally realized what he'd said, almost looking as shocked as Charles was.

Erik was mentally face-palming. Why the _fuck _had he _said that?_

"Lovely," Charles muttered, turning away and pushing out of the embrace. The moment, and Charles's mood, completely ruined.

_Fuck_, Erik screamed in his head.

The telepath sighed and made his way into the bathroom and out of view, but not before popping his head back out with a frown.

"Have fun with the dishes. I'm taking a shower." The door slammed shut, making Erik physically wince with how angry the noise was. The metal bender sighed to himself and turned back to the various dirty dishes.

"Fuck…"

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><p><strong>AN**: Hahaha! Erik is just making me laugh now. MAN! They were so close TOO! Don't you just hate that? ;)

Don't worry, Erik can't be an idiot forever…or can he?

You'll just have to find out in the next chapter.

_**Reviews are very much welcome and greatly appreciated!**_


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